Morning all.
Norwich are going back to the Championship and Watford are close to joining them. Everton are clinging on to the hope that they can win their games in hand over Leeds, and/or that Leeds keep on losing as they did yesterday against Man City. Liverpool meanwhile, are also holding on to the hope that City will drop a point or two before the month is out. I hope they don’t.
More importantly, Arsenal need to pick up three points this afternoon. David Moyes, no doubt thinking about Thursday, can’t really afford to put all his eggs in that one basket because should they not get through to the final, they’ll be scrabbling around for a place in the Europa League. Even without resting players, Moyes already has a few concerns at the back. Craig Dawson is out after being sent off against Chelsea in their last league fixture and both Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna are still missing through injury. Kurt Zouma is a major doubt too.
If Arsenal want three points from today’s game, this group of players need to be more awake than the group who went to the London Stadium around this time last year. 32 minutes on the clock and we were already 3-0 down. West Ham let us back into game just before the break with the first of two own goals, the second coming on the hour. Alex Lacazette popped up with an equaliser ten minutes before the game ended.
Pablo Mari, Bernd Leno, Calum Chambers, David Luiz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang started that game but only Leno remains at the club. Even so, Arsenal bossed both the possession and shot stats but as we know, stats mean very little.
Even though Alex Lacazette likes to score against todays opponents, I hope Mikel Arteta sticks with Eddie Nketiah as he’s the more likely to find a way through what could be an under strength West Ham defence.
Arsenal’s last two performances have been a bit chaotic, frantic at times but even so, we’ve won both. Honestly, if that’s how today’s game goes, I don’t really care. I know we all want to see the perfect performance but with five games left and 4th place still up for grabs, securing three points is all what matters.
West Ham’s squad might be old, tired and have one eye on Thursday but Arsenal cannot afford to take them lightly. A smallest whiff of complacency and we’ll drop points I’m sure. We have to come out of the blocks quickly and cause their defence problems. Press them hard and fast from the front Create chances and take them.
Neither Arsenal of West Ham have been consistent with performances or results in the Premier League but there’s a reason David Moyes team are still in with a chance of Europa League Cup Final and that’s because on their day, they can cause any team problems. As can Arsenal though.
By the time our game kicks off, Totts will have already been beaten by played Leicester City. Leicester have a Thursday night fixture which with the right result, will see them in a Cup Final too so I fully expect Brendan Rogers to rest/rotate some of his key player but even so, the players he does pick, have a point to prove, just as they will for West Ham and if they all have the attitude of Mo Elneny, they’ll want to play well for their team-mates and the fans.
This game won’t be easy for Arsenal, David Moyes will make sure of that but it’s one we really can’t afford to lose. A point wouldn’t be a disaster, but a win would be perfect.
See you in the comments.
Big day today , if results go our way we could cement a place in Europe’s bigger competitions . Wolves losing yesterday means we can’t finish any lower than 7th which means that on paper there has been an improvement.
6 points against West Ham and Leeds and we are motoring before our trip to WHL . ,
Good morning Rico, I’m sorry but I can’t locate the Saka Article on the Telegraph website and it’s too long to copy from the paper.
A quick start, from our boys, and keep the pressure on with energetic passing and movement. Three points are there for the taking.
Yep, huge day in the race for European football. Just hope Arsenal don’t blow a great opportunity against what should be a knackered West Ham team. We’ve been handed a lifeline, again, this time we have to take it.
However, Mike Dean is the ref.
Morning Cicero, no problem.
Must be the weekend for positive Arsenal headlines as the Mail are praising Xhaka today.
If Mike Dean is the referee we should rest Xhaka as he’s Dean’s number one target for a red card. Hopefully this should be Dean’s last game in charge of an Arsenal Match as he’s retiring at the end of the season.
Morning Rico and all
Hopefully Tottenham get beat as this may take some pressure off our team tonight, and having Tommy back is good news.
Still a NLD for him to ref Cicero…
Morning Geoff. Not sure Tomiyasu will start though, he’s been out a long time. More minutes at the end of the game I reckon, build up his strength before the NLD.
I’ve scanned the Saka article and e mailed it to you Rico.
Rico,
The headline, which is missing, is “Saka’s evolution from shy boy to undisputed talisman”
Thanks Cicero, I’ll enjoy reading that.
I think that Tomiyasu will start, this game is too important to muck up, West Ham will rotate and have plenty of fresh legs so don’t underestimate the task ahead therefore we need to be resolute at the back and especially in the air. Tommy doesn’t have to go charging about he can just sit in and give us a three at the back and he’s good in the air.
Tomy is the only change I’d make to the team that beat United, it’s a good team and can change systems during the game to suit the scenario we face at any given time.
As far as Dean is concerned, the sooner him, Moss and Atkinson are gone, the better…
As long as he’s fully fit Kev, we know what happened last time he came back too soon.
You can add a few more to that list, Pawson, Friend, Oliver, the lot really.
Afternoon to you btw.
I thought dean was only quitting match ref but was still doing VAR hope I am wrong
I watched the second half of the Celtic / Rangers game and was impressed by the noise of the supporters, mind you they don’t have much else to shout about in Sturgeon’s Scotland. 😉
VAR helping Tottenham, that was clearly handball by song,
Good Afternoon Rico and all
Email in inbox Rico. I hope you like it.
Spuds winning 2-0
Chavs losing 0-1 to Everton
Ha ha Cicero, did Rangers win?
Afternoon Devil, thanks. I’m sure I will.
Pressure back on Arsenal then..
One all draw Rico. Giovanni looking well.
During this evening’s game the supporters will be singing the song by Louis Danford, THE ANGEL, the refrain of which is being said will be Arsenal’s song.
North London forever
Whatever the weather
These streets are our own
And my heart will leave you never
My blood will forever
Run through the stone
We have to win today, know Tottenham leading 3 nil
Ramsdale, Tomiyasu, Holding, Gabriel, Tavares, Elneny, Xhaka, Odegaard, Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.
Ben White NOT on the bench.
Arsenal Women 5 – 0 up against Villa. 73 minutes.
Make that 6 – 0
A Parris penalty makes it 7 – 0
Thanks Cicero.
Scrappy start.
Afternoon all. Hardly looking like a side wanting 4th place. So many missed passes as well. Gone to sleep after a week off?
Painfully slow build up, painful to watch.
Yep, I know how people who don’t like football feel watching this… 😜
Nice header Rob
Holding had put us 1-0 up
A bolt from the blue. Rob Holding!
Great save.
Terrible goal to concede.
Perfect corner cross and perfect header.
But a short lived leaf. It’s 1-1
We’ve been farting about at the back and now concede a goal when the ball should have been cleared.
Gabriel makes it 2-1
Kev, this could be a fine occasion to test the “without White” hypothesis, brother.
Of course a single games means next to nothing, and albeit I hope everything is fine with Ben, the next few games could provide the sample to draw some reliable conclusion.
Think our throw in’s need a bit of work..
Very good result. Hope we show more appetite in next London derby!
We fight⚽⚽🥉🥅
How many times do we get caught in the last minute of a half Still 3 points back into Europe. Played N ketiah totally wound them up
Dean just allowed Nketiah to be grabbed by three hammers for ages, did nothing but hold a yellow card for Nketiah.
Rob Holding man of the match. 🔔
2 – 1 away win. Three points. Couldn’t really expect more. 🔔🔔
Excellent result.
That’s Dean for you Andrew. Good riddance when he goes.
Yes Peter my thoughts exactly, but I’ve always rated Holding so I was relaxed about the change, it’s why you have a squad, White will be back for Leeds I reckon, he’ll want to play in that one as will Nketiah.
Tomiyasu is ok as is Saka, aching legs, I saw Elneny dragging his legs around at the end, the team gave everything but I can’t lie, I didn’t enjoy the game I endured it.
Too many loose passes, the team seemed nervous and was slowing things down after an hour, learning how to be streetwise I guess?
Tavares did ok, a mixture of hair pulling moments with some surprisingly good play, never a dull moment with Nico.
I thought that Nketiah got taken out in the first half right on the edge of the West Ham box, Noble just ran into him and bowled him over but Eddie got nothing.
Why wasn’t Rice cautioned for baiting him after the Cresswell incident?
Ah silly me, Rice is an England big timer so he gets a pass a la Kane…
Eddie has been stupid in the past with his aggressive play but I thought he did well to contain his reactions, in an Ian Wright sort of way…
Agreed, Kevin, Nketiah played and behaved mature beyond his years.
Rico, I don’t know what kind of post you have in mind for tomorrow, but you may ask the audience to raise hands if they foresaw both that Arsenal will accomplish the Palace(A)-Brighton(H)-Southampton(A) games with 0 point and a single goal scored, and then the Chelsea(A)-United(H)-WestHam(A) games with 9 points and 9 goals scored.
Furthermore the Nketiah-Xhaka-Holding MotM trio is also an odds-killer turn of events. So if anybody predicted that, I’ll be interested in his/her further prophecies…
From zero to hero as far as Nketiah goes, he was excellent today and is improving with every game. He has genuine pace which is always unsettling to defenders, and is a perpetual nuisance around the box. A bit like the former Leeds and Man U striker Alan Smith. He showed today that he won’t be intimidated but also that he’s not easy to wind up. I loved the way he kept his cool despite the provocation from Rice and Cresswell.
We really must get him to sign a new contract.
I don’t usually watch the highlights of other games on Match of the Day as it’s easier to just watch a few brief minutes of highlights on YouTube instead, minus the talking heads which is always good, but I did check out Middlesex as we’ve got them coming up very soon.
Tottenham have some hard – bordering on thuggish – defenders and midfielders so no Tiki Taka for them, more like Atletico Madrid stylie and of course up front is the England captain cheating for all he’s worth alongside that Korean guy with the dopey face.
Kulusevski came on for Lucas Moura and I really hope that Moura starts in the NLD because Kulusevski looks a right handful and he could be up against Tavares!
Tottenham looked, despite having a three man defence marshalled by Eric ‘Lurch’ Dier, quite vulnerable at times and we can certainly get at them, especially at corners, Arsenal can also if they’re on their A game be much better at moving the ball about so we can outplay them in midfield it’s just that we’ll get a few whackings for sure so we’ll need to be resolute and have a strong referee and some luck, plenty of luck.
Of course our defence is going to be tested, Tavares will be targeted, we’ll need Tomiyasu, Ramsdale will need to be at his best and maybe Arteta should match up the Scum and go three at the back, because a draw will hopefully be enough?
But first it’s Leeds and they’re fighting for their lives so we’ll need to focus on the Yorkies and forget about that horrible bunch of scumbags from the other end of Seven Sisters Road…
Kev, am I right in thinking that you don’t have a particularly high regard for the tenants at the New Swamp? 😉
I’ll wait until the end of season Pbarany.
Cicero, what makes you think that re Kev? 😆
Morning all
New post up.